Big Ten Network : Wisconsin Top Stories

Northwestern holds off No. 17 Wisconsin

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:51:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- A purple mob rushed to the middle of Ryan Field, a home crowd celebrating Northwestern's 33-31 victory over No. 17 Wisconsin on Saturday. "I was right in the middle in the thick of things; it got a little rowdy in there. It's definitely a great feeling having fans rush the field," Northwestern's Jordan Mabin said Saturday after his interception in the closing seconds clinched the win. The Wildcats built a 27-14 halftime lead behind the passing of Mike Kafka to Andrew Brewer and then used late defensive plays from Brian Peters and Mabin to hold off the Badgers. "It was definitely an emotional day, having your parents walk out on the field with you. But we were here to win the game," said Brewer, a senior and converted quarterback who finished with six catches for 102 yards. Northwestern (8-4, 5-3 Big Ten) improved its postseason positioning with its third straight victory and will get a chance to win the school's first bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl. Wisconsin (8-3, 5-3) still has one more game to play at Hawaii. The Badgers couldn't get in position Saturday for a game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter, even though they had ample opportunities. "When we took the ball with about four minutes left, I felt pretty comfortable about being able to drive the ball down and if not score [a touchdown], put ourselves in field goal range," coach Bret Bielema said. "Even taking the field the last time with 42 seconds left, the way these guys have battled through and finished ballgames, I felt pretty good." Wisconsin's David Gilreath returned a punt 68 yards for a third-quarter TD to get the Badgers (8-3, 5-3) back in the game. Scott Tolzien found Garrett Graham wide open in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard pass with 10:45 to go, pulling the Badgers within 33-31 and setting the stage for a wild finish. Wisconsin then got the ball back three more times, but had turnovers on two of the possessions. The Badgers got the ball with eight minutes to go but had to punt. They stopped the Wildcats and, after a holding penalty, had possession again at their 34 with 3:43 to go. But Wisconsin's John Clay fumbled and Peters recovered at the 41 with 1:44 left. "I was trying to fight and get the first down. I let loose of the ball. I bumped into one of my guys and I dropped it," said Clay, the Big Ten's leading rusher who finished with 100 yards on 23 carries. Northwestern had to punt again, and the Badgers got the ball back at their 21 with 42 seconds to go, before Mabin sealed the victory with his interception of a long pass from Tolzien intended for Isaac Anderson. "I looked up and saw the ball coming and I'm like, 'Oh, wow, it's here.' I had to go up and get it. It's hard to explain that feeling," Mabin said. "If I were to do it again, I probably would have thrown it underneath," Tolzien said. "Come crunch time we didn't get it done." Tolzien completed 19 of 30 passes for 235 yards and two TD passes to Graham. Kafka had his fifth 300-yard passing game of the season, going 26 of 40 for 326 yards. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald -- who said he didn't like fans rushing the field because of the injury risk -- made a pitch for Kafka, his senior quarterback, to be the offensive MVP of the Big Ten. The Wildcats are playing their best football at the end of the season and had beaten Iowa and Illinois the previous two weeks. "I would say so," Fitzgerald said. "3-0 in November is a statement of where our program is now." The Wildcats used trickery to build the halftime lead. Kafka lateraled to leading receiver Zeke Markshausen, who then passed to a wide open Sidney Stewart. Stewart caught the ball at the 6 and then went to the end zone to complete the 38-yard play and cap a three-play, 80-yard drive -- Northwestern's second TD in a span of 2:21. Northwestern added a 38-yard field goal by Stefan Demos with 34 seconds to go after Wisconsin stopped the Wildcats on third-and-1 at the 20. Demos finished with four field goals. Northwestern had gone up 17-14 when Brewer fully extended to catch Kafka's third-down pass in the end zone. His highlight reel reception was upheld by video review and set up by Stephen Simmons' 64-yard kickoff return.

Wisconsin evens series, beats Saint Cloud St.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:28:00 +0000

ST. CLOUD, Minn.-The Wisconsin men's hockey team (7-4-1, 5-4-1 WCHA) evened the weekend series against the St. Cloud State Huskies (5-5-2, 4-3-1 WCHA) by beating them 4-1 Saturday night. The Badgers were led by their penalty kill, succeeding on nearly nine consecutive minutes during one stretch of the second period. The kill finished seven-for-seven for the game. The Badgers struck first in the first period. On a Badger power play, Brendan Smith found the back of the net for the third time this season 5:05 into the game. After an initial shot attempt refused to go in, Smith stayed persistent and punched it in after the puck deflected off a Husky defender. Freshman defenseman Justin Schultz (West Kelowna, British Columbia) tallied his second assist of the series. Sophomore forward Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn.) also assisted the goal. The Badgers' lead did not last long. Less than two minutes later, Husky forward David Eddy evened the match at one after some nice passing allowed Eddy to get freed up for the goal. This concluded the scoring in the period. Though the score read 1-1, the Badgers continued their great shot productivity. They outshot the Huskies 10-5 in the period. The first 15 minutes of the second remained scoreless. Badger senior forward John Mitchell (Neenah, Wis.) put UW back on top. After capitalizing off of a St. Cloud State turnover, Mitchell used his big 6-5 frame to shield off a Husky defender and cash in a backhander from just outside the crease. A nice behind-the-back pass from senior forward Aaron Bendickson (Thief River Falls, Minn.) set up the goal. The pass came just in time, as Mitchell was actually falling down when he scored. At exactly the nine-minute mark of the third, the Badgers added to their lead. Freshman forward Derek Lee (North Vancouver, British Columbia) snuck a pass through a crowd of Husky defenders and found sophomore forward Jordy Murray (Fairbault, Minn.). Murray maneuvered his way through the defense, and Lee found him right in stride. This was Murray's fourth goal of the season. "I really feel like it was a game changer," added Murray. "St. Cloud's a great team, but it really helped our momentum." The Badgers added another goal less than four minutes later. Junior forward Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis.) scored his second goal of the season from just off the goal line. Bendickson worked down low before puck squirted free to Johnson near the goal line to the right of SCSU goalie Dan Dunn. Junior defenseman Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) had the secondary assist on the play. The Badgers were now skating with a 4-1 advantage. And that is what the scoreboard would read at the final buzzer. Badger goaltender Scott Gudmandson (Sherwood Park, Alberta) was back in the net for the Badgers. He stopped 18 Husky shots, as his record climbed to 3-1-1 on the year. Junior Husky goaltender Dan Dunn stopped 29 Badger shots, as his record fell to 3-2-0 on the year. Wisconsin continued its offensive attack by outshooting SCSU 33-19 in the matchup. It was a physical matchup as there were 22 total penalties called. The Badgers hit the road for the second consecutive weekend next week for the College Hockey Showcase. Friday night, UW squares off against Michigan State at 6 p.m. CT in East Lansing. Saturday, the team will head south to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines. The puck drops at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday.

DeBruler leads No. 5 Illinois past Wisconsin

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:41:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It was a festive mood inside Huff Hall Saturday night. First, the Illini volleyball family honored its two seniors, Kylie McCulley and Ashley Edinger. In addition, Laura DeBruler was celebrating her 21st birthday. The junior All-American entertained the nearly 1,500 guests with 18 kills while hitting .424 in a 25-23, 25-11, 25-21 victory over Wisconsin in the final regular season home match of the season. Fifth-ranked Illinois, winners of 14 of its last 15 matches, improves to 15-3 in the Big Ten and 23-4 overall. Wisconsin falls to 6-12 in the conference and 11-16 overall. "The distractions of senior night are always a challenge," said Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly. "But we handled it well and took care of business." DeBruler was scintillating at times, tallying seven kills in the third set and adding seven digs for the night. Sophomore Michelle Bartsch had a solid night as well with nine kills and 12 digs, second only to Rachel Feldman (14) in that department. "Laura hit a couple of balls tonight that I don't think many players in the country can hit," Hambly said. Illinois had five aces on the night, giving the Illini 16 aces in six sets for the weekend. Once again, the Illini kept their opponent out of system, holding the Badgers to just a .092 hitting percentage. "We were doing a good job of serving aggressively," DeBruler said. "Everyone was getting after it on the serve." Wisconsin hit just -.061 in the second set while Illinois sided out at a 90 percent rate. The Illini hit .440 in that set and used an 11-2 run to go from a 10-7 to a 21-9 advantage. Freshman Jackie Wolfe served five of those points. Wisconsin used 12 different players with Caity Dupont pacing the Badgers with six kills while hitting .278. The first and third sets were competitive, but the Illini only lost the lead twice during each set. Illinois took the lead for good in set one at 12-11 after falling behind 9-7. Illinois steadily built the lead until Feldman tallied an ace to make it 21-16. Wisconsin used a 4-0 run which included a solo block by Kelsey Maloney to pull to within 23-21, but Illinois sided out from there. Set three saw more of the same. Illinois scored five straight points, four on the Kylie McCulley serve, to take a 7-3 lead. Wisconsin fought hard, tying the score a 13-13, but Illinois built a 20-16 lead capped off by an Erin Johnson kill on the back slide. Fittingly, the senior McCulley ended the match with an ace. "We set a goal of playing our best in December and that is almost here," Hambly said. "I think the perception of how well we're capable of playing keeps getting higher and higher. I think we could have played a little better tonight, but we're working harder to reach a new standard."

Badgers fall to St. Cloud State

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:06:00 +0000

ST. CLOUD, Minn.-The Badger men's hockey team (6-4-1, 4-4-1 WCHA) dropped its first of two games against the St. Cloud State Huskies (5-4-2, 4-2-1 WCHA) Friday night, 4-1. The Badgers' lone-goal came from senior tri-captain Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.). The Badgers and the Huskies will square off again tomorrow night at 7 p.m., as UW looks to even the series against SCSU. The Huskies struck first at the 14:52 mark of the first period. After a centering past hit a Badger defenseman's skate, the puck managed to find the back of the net. The power-play goal was credited to Husky senior forward Ryan Lasch. However, this season, the Badgers have been very consistent at responding. This proved to be true Friday night. On a Badger power play less than four minutes later, UW tied the match after Blake Geoffrion notched his seventh goal of the season. Junior defenseman Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) found a slashing Geoffrion in the slot, and, from there, the tri-captain cashed it in past SCSU goalie Mike Lee. This was Smith's ninth assist on the year. Freshman defenseman Justin Schultz (West Kelowna, British Columbia) tallied the secondary assist. This evened the score at one with just over 10 minutes to go in the first. The Badgers continued their great shots-on-goal production, outshooting St. Cloud State 16-8 in the first. Both teams were also one-for-two on the power play. Heading into the second, the game remained locked up at one apiece. With 13:36 left in the second, the Huskies took their second lead of the night after a slap shot by SCSU forward Drew LeBlanc put the Huskies on top by one. This concluded the scoring in the second period. The score was close, as was the rest of the game. Both teams attempted 10 shots-on-goal in the period, and both teams were one-for-three on the power play up to that point. Heading into the final period, St. Cloud State edged the Badgers 2-1. Two goals were scored in the final period, both by the Huskies. The first goal came with just under one minute remaining. It was an empty-net goal, scored by Husky forward Garrett Roe. The second came with 21 seconds left. Lasch scored his second goal of the game off of a Badger turnover. This cemented the 4-1 victory for the Huskies. A silver lining in the loss was that Wisconsin kept up its great shot productivity, outshooting SCSU 43-23 in the contest. Badger goaltender Brett Bennett fell to 4-3-0 on the year, but still managed to register 21 saves on the night. Husky goaltender Mike Lee stopped 38 Badger shots, as his record rose to 1-2-1 on the year.

Tough battle brings UW's season to an end

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:54:00 +0000

NEWTON, Mass. -- Wisconsin's NCAA tournament run ended Friday night at Newton Field when Boston College edged the Badgers, 1-0, in the Sweet 16. "I'm disappointed with the loss, but I am extremely proud of my players and how far they have come this season," said third-year head coach Paula Wilkins. "I think that Boston College is a very good team with some great players that can attack 1v1. They are very dynamic and obviously caused some problems, and you can understand why they won the ACC." The Badgers battled throughout, but the second-seeded and No. 7-ranked Eagles proved too much and out-shot Wisconsin, 21-7. UW hung with the Eagles for 61 minutes before the Eagles' Brooke Knowlton took a shot from 22 yards out and placed it in the top corner of the net to seal the win. Victoria DiMartino switched the point of attack and collided with UW's Taryn Francel, drawing the foul and knocking the ball out. The foul called was a BC advantage, and Knowlton played through to drill the ball to the back of the net. The Eagles outshot the Badgers 10-3 in the first half, but put only two shots on goal. UW's only shot on goal came on a free kick, when Lindsey Johnson launched a ball to BC Jillian Mastroianni. The scoreless first period saw 10 fouls, with six coming against BC. UW's other shot on goal came off the foot of Leigh Williams from about 20 yards out. UW's other scoring chances came off two of Johnson's flip throw-ins that were placed perfectly high and inside the box. However, UW couldn't convert on either opportunity. The game ended with 26 total fouls, including 16 on BC. The Eagles also held a 3-2 advantage on corner kicks. UW's Michele Dalton made seven saves in the outing, Mastoianni had two. Wisconsin ended its season with a 10-6-6 record and its best NCAA tournament finish in 16 years.

Northwestern stops Wisconsin, 3-1

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:16:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Juniors Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) and Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) combined for 23 kills and 14 blocks as Northwestern defeated Wisconsin 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The victory gives the Wildcats their first victory over the Badgers since 2003, snapping an 11-match skid, and moves Northwestern (15-14, 6-11 Big Ten) into a sixth-place tie with Wisconsin in the Big Ten standings. Johnson paced the Wildcats up at the nets all night, recording 13 kills and a career-best eight blocks, including some key rejections down the stretch to seal the Northwestern victory. Moffett added 10 kills and six blocks, as with her four block assists she moves into eighth-place all-time in Wildcat history with 269 on her career. Moffett also registered two solo blocks, pushing her into ninth-place in program history with 58 for her career. Redshirt freshman Kathryn Chrystal also played a key role in the Wildcat victory, recording seven kills and adding seven blocks for Northwestern. Senior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja) added six kills, three blocks and eight digs for the 'Cats, with junior Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) adding five kills. Junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) just missed notching her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 38 assists and nine digs. Senior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) turned away 23 Badger attacks, upping her season total to 469 digs. Set turn set the tempo for the evening, as both teams were even from the start. Neither team was able to take control, as after 17 ties and nine lead changes, both the Wildcats and Badgers found themselves knotted at 21. Wisconsin (11-15, 6-11 Big Ten) recorded two straight points and looked poised to take the opening set victory, but Northwestern rallied, tallying the set's final four points to take the 25-23 decision. Set two played out similarly to the first until the Badgers began to pull away, building a six-point cushion at 20-14. But the Wildcats would rally again, using an 11-2 run to steal set two from Wisconsin 25-22. Four kills from both Johnson and Moffett and five blocks each from Johnson and Chrystal turned the tide, giving the 'Cats the convincing 2-0 lead. Wisconsin again took control in set three, leading Northwestern by as many as seven at 19-12. But once again the Wildcats would claw their way back, pulling to within a point at 20-19. But this time the Badgers were able to hold off the Wildcat rally, taking set three 25-20. A fast Wisconsin start in set four was once again answered with a Northwestern rally, as after the Badgers built an 8-3 lead early, the Wildcats would respond to tie the set at 15. The two would then battle down the stretch, but then with the set knotted at 19, Northwestern took control for the final time, outscoring Wisconsin 6-2 down the stretch to take set four and seal the victory. Wisconsin's Brittney Dolgner and Allison Wack each recorded 16 kills in defeat, with Alexis Mitchell and Mary Ording each recording five blocks and Kim Kuzma digging a match-high 30 balls.

As Clay goes, so go the Badgers

Tom Oates — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Everyone is enjoying what they see of John Clay on Saturdays. John Settle is enjoying what he sees of the University of Wisconsin's sophomore tailback the rest of the week, too. "The thing I like about him is he may look like a MASH unit on Sunday, but by the time Tuesday rolls around, he understands that he's got to be ready to go and he comes out and takes his reps in practice," said Settle, who coaches UW's running backs. "He's ready to go week in and week out." There was a time this fall when people didn't associate Clay with dependability. Whether he was banged up, fumble-prone or unsure that he even wanted to be a starter, Clay was becoming an enigma early in what was expected to be his breakout season. No more. Clay is the leading rusher in the Big Ten Conference, has gone over 1,000 yards for the season and, in many ways, is the starting point for UW's surprising 8-2 record. Challenged by everyone from the coaches to the media to the fans after he was benched against Wofford due to acute fumble-itis, the 245-pound Clay has silenced his doubters and become the workhorse tailback everyone envisioned after his highly decorated prep career at Racine Park. "I feel like he's gotten into a groove," offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. "The thing I've liked is I see him growing and trying to step up in his preparation. I also think he knows that for us to do well, he needs to do well, and I think he doesn't shy away from that. I do think he can get so much better and that's exciting to me. But he's certainly been pivotal for us." Indeed, Clay has become the punishing, 60-minute runner UW needs to activate its ball-control offense. Since the start of the Big Ten season, a pattern has emerged. Clay, with help from backups Montee Ball and Zach Brown, runs adequately in the first half, then takes over the game in the second half after physically wearing down the opponent. The only games where that didn't happen were against Ohio State and Iowa, the only games UW lost. "The offense goes as he goes," quarterback Scott Tolzien said. "You see how he wears on teams." There have been times when Clay has worn on his coaches with his inability to stay healthy, control his weight, master the offense or assert himself in game situations. Now, Settle says Clay has improved by "leaps and bounds," especially in the three games since the bye week. Whether that's because Clay used the week off to get healthy, was motivated to join UW's prestigious 1,000-yard club or started feeling pressure from Ball, a talented freshman, he has been a physical presence in every game. In victories over Purdue, Indiana and Michigan, Clay rushed 65 times for 408 yards and five touchdowns. Better yet, he set a physical tone that allowed UW to dominate those teams on the ground in the second half. "John runs harder than anybody I've seen," guard John Moffitt said. "He's always falling forward and he's always getting yards after contact." For the record, Clay is fine with his role change from reluctant starter to offensive go-to guy. Asked if he likes getting 25 to 30 carries a game, he said, "I'm built for that." Indeed, he is. It just took him awhile to realize it. Now, he's embracing the role. "I think he's taking pride in the fact that he's been able to do that," Settle said. "When he came in during the summer and we talked and he said he wanted to be the guy, I don't know how confident he was that he could be that guy. But I like where he is. He's a guy that has grown, that has learned how to study the defenses and understand what they're trying to do and how we're trying to counter it offensively. He still misses some cuts and some reads here and there, but I like the progress he's made. And he's only going to get better." That's encouraging given the hype that accompanied Clay to UW. Back then, almost everyone thought he was bound for greatness. It took a little longer than some expected, but people are finally seeing Clay's considerable talent. "We knew that since the first day Clay stepped on campus," wide receiver Isaac Anderson said. "He has the ability, the size, the vision. If he continues to do what he's doing, there's going to be a great future for John Clay." The present isn't too shabby, either. Contact Tom Oates at toates@madison.com or 608-252-6172. Copyright 2009 Madison Newspapers, Inc.All Rights Reserved

Wisconsin tops UW-Milwaukee

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:13:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. – An 8-0 run late in the game led the Wisconsin women's basketball team to a 64-55 win over UW-Milwaukee on Thursday night. The Badgers win their first road game of the season at the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee and improve to 2-0 on the season. ""This is a tough place to play and we'll take the win,"" said UW coach Lisa Stone. ""When you're on the road, you expect to have some adverse situations but I'm proud of our kids for overcoming those situations."" Wisconsin controlled most of the game, leading by 14 points in the middle of the first half. The Panthers (2-1) didn't lead until 8:30 left in the game when they took a 48-47 lead on two free throws from Lindsay Laur. Two free throws from Tara Steinbauer with 7:14 remaining put the Badgers back up 49-48 but UWM tied the score at 49 off a free throw from Jenilee Klomstad. That's when Rae Lin D'Alie went to work, tallying two 3-pointers to lead the 8-0 run, putting Wisconsin up 57-49 with 3:57 remaining. The Badgers would up their lead to 60-50 with 1:19 left in the game, a lead that Milwaukee could not overcome. ""What I love about Rae is that she's such a fighter,"" said Stone of her senior point guard. ""She got the ball in her hands at the end of the game at important times."" D'Alie was one of four Badgers in double figures. Steinbauer led the UW with 15 points while D'Alie chipped in 14 points. Freshman Taylor Wurtz recorded her first double-figure scoring performance as a Badger, tallying 11 points. Lin Zastrow chipped in 10 points for Wisconsin. The Panthers were led by Laur with 19 points while Klomstad recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. UWM out-rebounded the Badgers 42-31. Wisconsin was led by Zastrow with eight boards while Steinbauer pulled down seven. ""(Milwaukee) rebounded the basketball – that's one of their greatest strengths but we got them to turn it over,"" said Stone. ""I thought we did a decent job against the zone. But it was the little things. You have to do the little things right."" Wisconsin forced 20 turnovers by Milwaukee while the Badgers turned the ball over only seven times. UW had 11 steals, including four from D'Alie. Led by a career-high seven assists from Teah Gant, the Badgers dished out 17 dimes. ""The bottom line is that I thought we got really good looks tonight. The ball didn't go in the basket but that's what you have to do,"" said Stone. ""Your defense is always there when you're shots aren't going in and when you have games where your shot's not going in and you have only seven turnovers, that helps a lot."" The Badgers shot 39.0 percent from the field, hitting 23-of-59, including 9-of-21 from 3-point range. Wisconsin was 9-of-12 from the free throw line, not going to the line until the last seven minutes of play. ""I give lots of credit to Sandy (Botham) and the Milwaukee team. They did a great job,"" said Stone. ""We could not find a way to get to the free throw line."" Wisconsin jumped out to an 11-point lead, going up 15-4 with 13:12 remaining in the half. The Badgers controlled the play early on, upping their lead to 14 (28-14) with 6:54 remaining on a Taylor Wurtz 3-pointer. UW was scoreless for more than four minutes as Milwaukee cut the lead to three with 2:45 remaining. An Emily Neal 3-pointer ended the Badgers' scoring drought with 2:20 left in the period. The two teams traded buckets as Wisconsin maintained its lead as Wurtz hit a driving layup with only one second left to put the Badgers up 35-29 at the half. ""I challenged our team at halftime,"" said Stone. ""I talked about toughness. It was a short speech because we talked about toughness, (about) how when you're tired you have to work through fatigue. When you have to grind it out, you have to grind it out. It was a great lesson for our team because this is what we had to do tonight.""

Defense leads Wisconsin in win over Oakland

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:25:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin (2-0) put the clamps on Summit League preseason favorite Oakland on Wednesday night, leaning on its defense to notch a 58-42 win at the Kohl Center. The Badgers watched Oakland (0-2) get out to an 8-5 lead, but capitalized on the Grizzlies' early foul trouble to regain the momentum. Oakland's 6-foot-11 center, Keith Benson, and 6-foot-9 forward, Will Hudson, each picked up their second foul just eight minutes into the game. Wisconsin was clinging to a mere 9-8 lead at that stage, but quickly found its rhythm, scoring its next 19 points in the paint or at the free- throw line. The Badgers' widened a 14-12 lead to 30-14 with a 16-2 run over a 10-minute span in the first half, creating a comfortable cushion that would only increase throughout the remainder of the game. Benson picked up his third personal foul late in the first half and the Badgers would outscore the Grizzlies, 22-9, with him on the bench that half. Jon Leuer (12 points) and Trevon Hughes were the main beneficiaries of Oakland's absences inside as Leuer posted eight points and Hughes notched 13 before intermission. UW would stretch its 34-23 halftime lead to 53-29 with 8:38 left to play and coast to victory from there. Oakland had no answer for Hughes' penetration as the senior guard matched the game-high of 15 points and recorded a career-high seven rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Ryan Evans also notched seven rebounds, blowing his former career-high of three out of the water. UWBadgers.com Complete Post-Game Coverage Small Page Graphic Beyond the Box | Small Page Graphic In-Game Blog | Small Page Graphic Nankivil Feature | Small Video Graphic Highlights | Small Video Graphic Coach and Players Postgame UW's defense held Oakland in check all night, forcing the Grizzlies to shoot a mere 27.3 percent from the field and 15.8 percent from three-point range. The Badgers registered eight blocks and nine steals to force 16 Oakland turnovers. Keaton Nankivil recorded a career-high four blocks and tied for the game-high with nine rebounds to the lead the Wisconsin defense. Nankivil also registered two highlight reel dunks—one midway through the first half on a drop from Jason Bohannon and another with eight minutes remaining on the put-back of a missed layup. The Badgers will jet off to beautiful Hawaii for the EA Sports Maui Invitational and their road debut on Nov. 23. Wisconsin will face Arizona in the first game of the tournament at 11 p.m. CT. Check back to UWBadgers.com for results and updated information on the Badgers in Hawaii.

Badgers eye share of Big Ten title

ANTHONY GIORNALISTA — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Wisconsin's rushing attack and passing game aren't accustomed to dividing the spotlight. A balanced approach, though, may help the Badgers earn a share of the Big Ten title. The 17th-ranked Badgers, with quarterback Scott Tolzien and receiver Nick Toon giving their offense a new look, have a chance to become the league's co-champion as they visit Northwestern on Saturday. Wisconsin (8-2, 5-2) is out of the running for the Big Ten's BCS bid, earned by Ohio State with its win over Iowa last Saturday, but it can finish with at least a share of the conference championship for the first time since 1999. The Badgers, Hawkeyes and Penn State can become co-champions with victories Saturday combined with a Buckeyes loss to Michigan. Ohio State earned a trip to the Rose Bowl because it holds the tiebreaker advantage over all of those teams. Wisconsin beat the Wolverines 45-24 last Saturday for its third straight win, getting an outstanding effort from Tolzien and Toon. Tolzien tied a career high with four touchdown passes - two were to Toon - and ran for a score to earn Big Ten offensive player of the week honors. Tolzien's play has been a key factor in the Badgers' success. He has a 156.4 rating in their eight wins, throwing for 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, compared to no TDs and five INTs in their two defeats. He's helped add another dimension to the Wisconsin offense after a few seasons of instability in the team's passing game. "It's good just to have another element of our offense to be able to throw the ball and not put it all on the run game," Tolzien said. "It's fun to be able to throw it, too." Toon has emerged as Tolzien's top target. The son of former Wisconsin star and NFL All-Pro Al Toon, he leads the Badgers with 42 catches for 633 yards and four TDs. With his second score against Michigan, the 6-foot-3 Toon displayed some of the skill for which his father was once known, going over the top of a cornerback to grab the ball despite being interfered with. "Yeah, he's a playmaker," Tolzien. "The best thing he has going for him is his confidence." Tolzien has the third-best passer rating in the Big Ten (138.7), but Wisconsin is still a run-first team and leads the conference with 208.0 rushing yards per contest. The Badgers have rushed for more than 200 in three straight games. They're led by John Clay, who has a Big Ten-best 1,149 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. "Welcome to Wisconsin football - that's what we do," coach Bret Bielema said. Northwestern (7-4, 4-3) gave up 212 yards rushing to Illinois last Saturday, but Mike Kafka threw for 305 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to lead the Wildcats to a 21-16 win. The victory improved Northwestern's bowl possibilities. The Wildcats, playing their regular-season finale, will appear in consecutive bowls for the first time since the Rose and Citrus following the 1995 and '96 seasons. "We're not satisfied with seven wins," Kafka said. "We want to go out and get that eighth win." Having Kafka healthy should help. He went 23 of 37 without an interception after missing most of the previous two games due to a hamstring injury. His favorite receiver continues to be Zeke Markshausen, who had six catches for 104 yards and a TD versus the Illini. He's among the Big Ten leaders with 76 receptions and 737 yards. Northwestern lost 41-9 at Wisconsin on Oct. 7, 2006, in the last meeting between the teams. The Badgers lead the series 55-32-5 but have lost their only two games in Evanston this decade.

Wisconsin defeats IPFW in its season opener

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:54:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- Jon Leuer scored 19 points and blocked a career-high four shots as Wisconsin beat Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne 75-46 Sunday in the season opener for both teams. The Badgers were in control early and put an exclamation point on the first half with a 15-4 run to close out the period. Jason Bohannon punctuated the run by gathering a poor pass in the corner and hitting a 3-pointer as time expired for a 39-18 lead. Wisconsin then opened the second half with a 12-0 run over the first five minutes, and the rout was on. Bohannon scored 12 points and had three blocks, a career high, as the Badgers shot 57 percent from the field. Jeremy Mixon scored 17 to lead the Mastodons, who played without senior forward Deilvez Yearby. He was suspended for violating team rules. IPFW shot 34 percent for the game.

Wisconsin off to Sweet 16 with win over UCF

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

It only took one goal for Wisconsin to get past third-seeded Central Florida Sunday afternoon at the McClimon Soccer Complex. Although the 1-0 score doesn't show it, Wisconsin handled the 13th-ranked UCF Knights to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993. Roxanne Carlson came off the bench for Wisconsin in the final minutes of the first half and made it count. With only 21 seconds left in the first half, Carlson sprinted down the field to connect on a low pass from sophomore Laurie Nosbusch who fed the ball from the far corner. Carlson slotted the the ball to the near post for the game-winning goal. "There are no words," said Carlson on scoring the game-winning goal. "I looked over at our bench and got so excited to see everyone so happy. It was kind of an unreal thing. It was really cool." Wisconsin outshot the Knights 19-6, including eight shots on goal for the Badgers. The Badgers played a complete game attacking on offense and creating some dangerous chances inside the box. Central Florida's Aline Reis kept the Knights in striking distance with eight saves, including many impressive kick-saves on some point-blank shots by the Badgers. One of UW's many chances came in the second half when Erin Jacobsen took a free kick from the top of the box that bent to the near post. Reis made a diving save to keep the Badgers from going up by two. "In our locker room there was a great buzz, a great energy," said third-year head coach Paula Wilkins. "I was afraid we would come out and just defend for the last 45 minutes. And I'm glad we didn't come out and do that. We created a couple more chances in the second half and didn't get the result, but we didn't come out and just defend. I think that was important." Wisconsin's Michele Dalton finished with two saves for her seventh shutout of the season, however the Badger defense stifled UCF's offense rarely giving up a scoring opportunity. The second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament was an aggressive battle between the two teams tallying 29 total fouls which included three yellow cards. Wisconsin will now face Boston College in the third round, however the details on when and where the game will be played have not yet been announced. Wisconsin Notes: In Wisconsin's 15th NCAA appearance, the Badgers move to 12-14-1 … UW snapped a six-game losing streak during the second round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the sweet 16 for the first time since 1993 when the Badgers advanced to the quarterfinals… UW's nine-game unbeaten streak is the longest since 1996 when the Badgers went 13-straight games without a loss (10-0-3)… Roxanne Carlson's game-winner was her first career goal… Nosbusch added an assist in that game for her sixth of the season… Nosbusch leads the team with 18 points, six goals and six assists… this is the Badger's ninth shutout of the season and seventh game won with a score of 1-0… 13 of UW's games this season were determined by one goal… Wisconsin is now the only team in the Big Ten in the NCAA Tournament after Penn State was upset by Virginia losing 6-2

No. 7 Nebraska knocks off No. 12 Wisconsin

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:18:00 +0000

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The No. 12 Wisconsin wrestling team battled No. 7 Nebraska on Sunday afternoon in its second match of the 2009-10 season. The Badgers fell to the Huskers 26-17, but had four individual victories, including a pin, a tech fall and a major decision. Wisconsin is now 1-1 on the season. The match began at 184 lbs., where redshirt freshman Jimmy Duffy took on redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen. Ihnen scored the first takedown with 1:20 left on the clock in the first period and added to his lead with another takedown and an escape to win the match 6-1 and giving the Huskers a 3-0 lead. Duffy registered an escape in the match. True freshman Jackson Hein then took on his second ranked opponent of the weekend with No. 2 senior Craig Brester at 197 lbs. Brester jumped out to an early 9-2 lead in the first period, adding five more points to win by a 14-2 major decision, giving Nebraska a 7-0 lead. Hein recorded two escapes in the match. Junior Eric Bugenhagen battled No. 9 sophomore Tucker Lane in a tough heavyweight matchup. After a scoreless first period, Lane chose down and registered the only points of the second period with an escape at 1:51. In the third period, Bugenhagen chose down and did the same, evening the score at 1-1 with an escape at 1:56. The bout then went into a first overtime, where no points were scored. In the second overtime, both Bugenhagen and Lane scored escapes to tie the bout at 3-3 and sent the match into a third overtime where Lane had just one second of riding time advantage to win the match 4-3 and stretching the Husker's lead to 10-0. At 125 lbs., senior Drew Hammen wrestled true freshman David Klingsheim. Hammen recorded the first takedown of the match with 1:12 left on the clock in the first period. Hammen scored another takedown, an escape and riding time of 1:19 to win the match 5-2, giving the Badgers their first team points of the match as they trailed 10-3. No. 10 Tyler Graff then faced true freshman C.J. Napier at 133 lbs. Graff jumped out to an early 10-4 lead in the first period and never looked back. Graff registered 12 takedowns in the match and scored a riding time advantage of 1:26 to win the bout 26-10 by tech fall, narrowing the Huskers lead to 10-7. Redshirt freshman Trey Bertram took on junior Mike Koehnlein at 141 lbs. Bertram scored the first points of the match with a takedown at 1:32 in the first period. He then trailed 6-2 at the end of the period after Koehlein scored a takedown and three near fall points. Koehnlein then went on to add six more points to his score, winning the match by a 12-2 major decision and extending Nebraska's lead to 14-7. No. 2 Kyle Ruschell battled redshirt freshman Ross Grande at 149 lbs. Ruschell recorded three takedowns in the first period to lead 6-2. Ruschell went on to add two more takedowns, an escape and riding time of 3:32 to win by a 12-3 major decision, once again cutting the Huskers lead to 14-11. Junior Greg Burke battled No. 1 senior Jordan Burroughs at 165 lbs. Burroughs struck fast with a takedown and shortly after pinned Burke at 0:25, giving the Huskers a 20-11 lead over the Badgers. No. 3 sophomore Andrew Howe then wrestled junior Alex Ward at 165 lbs. Howe scored 10 takedowns, one reversal and two near fall points before pinning Ward at 6:24. It was Howe's first career pin, and it gave the UW six points, narrowing Nebraska's lead to 20-17. At 174 lbs., true freshman Brendan Ard took on No. 6 senior Stephen Dwyer. After a scoreless first period, Dwyer got on the board first with a reversal. Ard responded with an escape and then took the 3-2 lead with a takedown. Dwyer evened the score with an escape at the 54-second mark in the second. All tied up at 3-3, Ard chose down to start the third and shortly after, Dwyer pinned Ard at the 5:25 mark, giving the Huskers six points and a team victory of 26-17. Complete bout-by-bout coverage from today's match can be found here. The Badgers hit the road again next Sunday when they will face Oregon State and No. 8 Boise State in Corvallis, Ore.

Gophers tally road sweep over Badgers

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0000

The Minnesota volleyball team (21-7, 12-4) won for the seventh time in nine matches as it defeated Wisconsin (11-14, 6-10) in three sets by scores of 25-11, 25-21, 25-22 at the Wisconsin Fieldhouse on Sunday. It marked the 12th time in 16 meetings that the Golden Gophers have defeated Wisconsin. During that span, Minnesota has won at the Wisconsin Fieldhouse in five of the eight meetings. Minnesota was led by Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.) who hit .480 (14-2-25) with a team-high 14 kills, a career-high 12 blocks and tied a team-best with six digs. Sophomore middle blocker Ariana Filho (Monument, Colo.) had seven kills, hit .357 (7-2-14) and had four blocks. Freshman Katherine Harms (Albertville, Minn.) had five kills and four blocks, while Hailey Cowles (Eden Prairie, Minn.) had a career-best five blocks. Cowles, Gibbemeyer, Megan Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) and Christine Tan (Safety Harbor, Fla.) all tied with a team-high six digs. Tan also collected two service aces. Senior setter Taylor Carico (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) finished with 30 assists, four blocks and three kills. Minnesota outhit Wisconsin .207 to .026, despite the fact that the Badgers had one more kill (36-to-35). The Golden Gophers tied a season-high with 16.0 blocks as a team, and for the second straight match did not give up a service ace. The Golden Gophers ran out to a 6-0 lead in the first set after a service ace by Tan. Wisconsin trimmed the lead to 10-3, but Minnesota moved ahead 13-5 on a kill by Filho. After the Badgers cut it to 13-7, the Golden Gophers answered with eight of the next nine points and moved ahead 21-8 when Cowles and Gibbemeyer combined on a block. Minnesota pushed it to 23-9 on a kill by Gibbemeyer, and eventually claimed the set 25-11 on a kill by Filho. In the set, Minnesota outhit Wisconsin .320 to -.081, and had 11 kills to eight for the Badgers. The Golden Gophers also outblocked wisconsin 7.0-to-0.0 in the set. Gibbemeyer paced Minnesota with six kills and six blocks in the set. The Golden Gophers jumped out to a 12-9 lead in the second set after Cowles and Filho combined on a block, however Wisconsin answered with three straight points to tie the set at 12. Minnesota pushed it to 15-13 on a kill by Gibbemeyer. With the score at 17-16, the Golden Gophers went on a 4-0 run that featured a Filho kill and three Badger errors. Harms helped the Golden Gophers finish off the last part of the set by delivering a kill to move the score to 22-18. She continued with a kill that made it set point at 24-20, and then delivered a kill to give Minnesota a 25-21 victory in the second set. Minnesota outhit Wisconsin .133 to .026 in the set. The Badgers had 14 kills to 10 for the Golden Gophers, but also committed 13 attack errors to six for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers also outblocked Wisconsin 5.0-to-3.0 in the set. Harms and Gibbemeyer each had four kills in the set. The Golden Gophers jumped out to a 16-10 lead in the third set following a kill by Tabitha Love (Dauphin, Manitoba). Wisconsin answered with five of the next six points to cut the lead to 17-15. After a Badger service error, Tan followed with a service ace and Cowles and Gibbemeyer combined on a block to make it 20-15. Wisconsin answered with four straight points to make it 20-19. Minnesota led by two points at 23-21, before the Badgers cut the lead to 23-22. Carico responded with a kill to make it match points, and Love finished the match with a kill. The Badgers were led by Allison Wack who had 11 kills, 10 digs and two blocks. Brittney Dolgner also had 10 kills, while Kim Kuzma finished with nine digs. Minnesota will be back in action on when it travels to No. 14 Michigan on Friday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. (CT). The Golden Gophers will also face Michigan State on the road on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m (CT).

Tolzien's 5 TDs lead Badgers past Wolverines

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:28:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- For long-suffering conference rivals looking to throw some grief back at the once-dominant Michigan Wolverines, now's the time. Have at it, Badgers. No. 21 Wisconsin became the latest Big Ten team to get the best of the reeling Wolverines and coach Rich Rodriguez, winning 45-24 Saturday behind four touchdown passes and a TD sneak from quarterback Scott Tolzien. "Scotty had a big grin on his face walking off the field," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said. "To beat Michigan is a big deal." It was sweet redemption on Senior Day for the Badgers (8-2, 5-2), who watched last year's promising season unravel after blowing a big lead in the Big House last year. Wisconsin has regained momentum in what is shaping up to be a better-than-expected 2009 campaign, winning three straight after consecutive losses to Ohio State and Iowa. It was the sixth straight conference setback for the Wolverines (5-6, 1-6), whose miserable Big Ten season just keeps getting worse -- and with a potential bowl bid slipping away, Ohio State awaits next Saturday. "There's no question we've got one more chance," Rodriguez said. "I've asked the team to be extra focused. We've been focused all year, but this is the biggest game of the year. Our guys know that." Wisconsin's 45 points were the most the Badgers have ever scored against Michigan. After the Badgers blew a 19-point lead in a loss to Michigan last year, Badgers defensive end O'Brien Schofield said he wasn't comfortable celebrating the win until the clock hit zero. "I didn't want to think about that," Schofield said. "Because last year, I was like, 'We are killing these guys, these guys are terrible.' ... That was bad. I had to eat my words." Tolzien was 16 of 24 for 240 yards with an interception despite spending much of the game under pressure from defensive end Brandon Graham, who had a pair of sacks and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown to give the Wolverines a 17-14 lead just before halftime. But this time, the second-half letdown that has become this Michigan team's dubious trademark actually began just before halftime, when it allowed the Badgers to drive for a 1-yard touchdown by John Clay. "We've got to stay focused on what we need to do," Graham said. "Most of the games we were out of our gaps and let big plays happen. It's been killing us." Nick Toon caught two of Tolzien's touchdown throws for the Badgers, who went to the air early on after putting together monster rushing performances in their previous two games. Leading 21-17, Wisconsin received the second-half kickoff and marched to the Michigan 15-yard line, where Tolzien threw toward Toon in the end zone. Toon, son of former Badgers and NFL receiver Al Toon, jumped and came down with his second TD of the day despite being interfered with on the play. Tate Forcier was a solid 20 of 26 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but it wasn't enough. After a 4-0 start to the season, the Wolverines are reeling heading into their biggest rivalry. "If I have to spend 10 hours this week watching film, I'm going to do that," Forcier said. "We're going to get the seniors to a bowl game. We're going to come out and do what we need to do to beat Ohio State." Forcier kept Michigan in the game after Toon's acrobatic touchdown catch, converting a fourth-and-9 play to set up a 10-yard touchdown pass to Roy Roundtree that cut Wisconsin's lead to 28-24 midway through the third. But the Wolverines defense just couldn't get the stop it needed. With Wisconsin facing third-and-7 at the Michigan 19, linebacker Stevie Brown burst through the line and Tolzien got rid of the ball just before taking a crunching hit, delivering a 12-yard pass to tight end Garrett Graham to set up first-and-goal at the 7. Tolzien threw a touchdown to tight end Lance Kendricks two plays later, putting Wisconsin up 35-24. The Badgers were coming off impressive rushing performances in victories over Purdue and Indiana but had a hard time finding yards on the ground against Michigan's defense early on. Michigan held Wisconsin to 53 yards rushing in the first half but couldn't keep it up, as John Clay got 109 of his 151 yards on the ground after halftime. "Defensively, we are reaching to find an answer to stop people," Rodriguez said.

Three Badgers score in double digits in opening win

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:31:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. - The UW women's basketball team opened up the 2009-10 season with a 68-43 win over North Dakota at the Kohl Center Sunday. With the win, the Badgers improve to 21-15 all-time in season openers, and 10-4 when opening the year in Madison. Three players finished in double figures and junior guard Alyssa Karel led the way with 15 points. Junior forward Tara Steinbauer had her third career double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Senior guard Rae Lin D'Alie added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Badgers finished 41.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. Kayla Bagaason led North Dakota with 11 points as the Fighting Sioux finished 26.5 percent from the field. Wisconsin out-rebounded North Dakota 44-38 with Steinbauer leading the way for the Badgers. Sophomore forward Anya Covington also grabbed seven boards while D'Alie had six. Youngblut led North Dakota with 16 rebounds. The Badgers finished with 18 turnovers, which turned into 14 North Dakota points, while Wisconsin scored 26 points off North Dakota's 26 turnovers. Fourteen of North Dakota's turnovers came off of UW steals, as D'Alie led the way with four steals. North Dakota finished with nine steals. Wisconsin distributed the ball well, finishing with 14 assists compared to 11 for North Dakota. Junior forward Lin Zastrow finished with a career high five assists. The Badgers got out to a 10-point lead early in the first half and never looked back. Karel started the game on fire, and gave Wisconsin its first points of the game with two 3-pointers and added her third from beyond the arc shortly after. North Dakota had trouble finding the basket and went without a field goal for more than nine minutes (13:44 to 4:20). During that stretch, Wisconsin outscored the Fighting Sioux, 16-8 and went up by as many as 19 points. North Dakota made a little run heading into halftime, cutting the lead to 15 as Wisconsin took the 38-23 advantage into the lockerroom. Wisconsin shot 45.2 percent from the field in the first half while North Dakota was limited to just 29.2 percent. The Badgers continued to build on their lead in the second half as UND endured two more scoring droughts. During the first drought, North Dakota was without a field goal for five minutes (13:44 to 8:43) and then did not make another field goal until a Bagaason 3-pointer with 1:53 remaining. Wisconsin took advantage, going up by as many as 27 points before finishing with the 68-43 victory. Wisconsin hits the road now and will take on in-state rival Milwaukee on Thursday. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.

Wisconsin thrashes Anchorage, 6-2

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:02:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's hockey team (6-3-1, 4-3-1 WCHA) finished off its sweep of the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (4-8-0, 2-6-0 WCHA) after beating them 6-2 Saturday night in the Kohl Center. Behind two goals and an assist by senior tri-captain Ben Street (Coquitlam, British Columbia), the Badgers were able to prevail. Freshman forward Craig Smith (Madison, Wis.) contributed his second goal of the series and the year en route to the Badgers' win. The Seawolves struck first. After a scoreless first 15 minutes of the first period, senior Josh Lunden punched one in for Anchorage at the 4:28 mark. Just eleven seconds later, Street notched his third goal of the season, tying the game at one. Freshman Derek Lee (North Vancouver, British Columbia) advanced the puck to senior Ben Grotting (Birmingham, Ala.), who was on the side of the net. Grotting found a slashing Street skating to the left side, who gained control of the puck and cashed it in for the Badgers. This concluded the scoring in the first, with the teams locked up at a goal apiece. Together, the teams took 14 shots, 10 of which belonged to UW. Wisconsin took its first lead of the game at the 7:23 mark of the second period after senior tri-captain Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) scored his sixth goal of the season. Geoffrion stole a loose puck in the skates of a Seawolves' defender behind the net. From there, he skated around the front of the net and fired a top-shelf goal past UAA goalie Bryce Christianson, putting the Badgers up 2-1. Sophomore forward Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn.) and junior tri-captain Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) were credited with the two assists. This accounted for all the scoring in the second. The Badgers' powerful defense was making shooting very difficult for UAA. Just like in the first period, the Seawolves were only able to attempt four shots on goal in the second. Wisconsin, on the other hand, had 13 shots on goal. The Badgers were outshooting the Seawolves 23-8, altogether. Just 2:32 into the third, Wisconsin added to its lead. The goal was scored by junior forward Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis.) for his first goal of the year, and his first in 17 games. Junior defenseman Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario), who was at mid-ice, got the puck to senior forward John Mitchell (Neenah, Wis.). Mitchell skated to the top of the faceoff circle, before finding a wide-open Johnson, who was cutting down the middle at the net. Mitchell's pass led Johnson, so he laid out and managed to glide it past the Seawolf defender. This put the Badgers up 3-1 in the contest. The Seawolves attempted to crawl their way back after senior Josh Lunden short-handedly scored his second goal of the night, bringing UAA within one at the 13:24 mark of the third. Freshman forward Craig Smith (Madison, Wis.) did not let them stay within one for long. At the 12:18 mark, he scored his second goal in as many nights. Junior defenseman Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario) advanced the puck up the ice to Craig Smith. From there, Smith outmuscled his way to the net and managed to fire a rocket past the UAA's Christianson. Street was credited with the secondary assist, his second point of the contest. This gave the Badgers some cushion at 4-2. The cushion got bigger when freshman defenseman Justin Schultz (West Kelowna, B.C.) scored his first goal as a Badger with just under three minutes remaining in the third. After UAA pulled its goalie, nothing stood in the way between Schultz and the goal. Assists were credited to Goloubef and Stepan, the second of the game for both. The Badgers scored once more in the contest, and it was by Street again. After Street snuck behind the Anchorage defense, Goloubef found him for his second assist. Street delivered a shot from just outside the faceoff circle, cementing the Wisconsin victory. The secondary assist was credited to Jordy Murray. The score was now 6-2 in favor of Wisconsin with just over 11 seconds remaining. Scott Gudmandson (Sherwood Park, Alberta) found himself in the net for UW tonight. He stopped 11 UAA shots and is now 2-1-1 on the year. Christianson managed to stop 33 Badger shots, as his record fell to 2-4-0 on the year. The Badgers led the Seawolves in shots on goal, outshooting them 42-13 in the game. The Badgers hit the road and head westward next weekend, where they will play the St. Cloud State Huskies on Friday and Saturday. Both games get underway at 7 p.m.

Badgers advance to second round after thrilling penalty kick win

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:36:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- It goes down as a tie officially, but Friday's result was every bit as good as a win for the Wisconsin women's soccer team. The Badgers remain alive in the NCAA Tournament after two diving saves by sophomore Michele Dalton lifted UW past Arizona State in a thrilling shootout at the McClimon Complex and into a second-round matchup with Central Florida. The first round of the tournament proved to be exciting, as the Badgers played down to the wire. After UW's ninth overtime of the season, the score remained knotted 1-1 and forced penalty kicks to decide the advancing team. Wisconsin went down in the count early when Sun Devils goalkeeper Katie Cochran knocked down Erin Jacobsen's first attempt. After each team made the next three attempts, before Dalton stopped Courtney Tinnin's shot to knot the score at three. Roxanne Carlson made UW's fourth penalty kick to give UW a 4-3 advantage, putting the pressure on Dalton and ASU's final shooter, Jill Shoquist. Dalton dove to the left, swatting down Shoquist's shot before the players and fans rushed the field. "There's no words to describe it," said an emotional Dalton. "What I was thinking at that moment and what I'm feeling right now, it's surreal. Paula [Wilkins] talks about living in the moment and that was a moment I will never forget, ever. It was such an emotional thing and I'm glad we won. " The Badgers' late success came only because of an early goal, as the Badgers jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a score at the 1:39 mark. Lindsey Johnson made a perfect serve on a flip throw-in to set up Leigh Williams, who was at the back edge of the 6-yard box to covert the score. "It panicked me to be honest," said head coach Paula Wilkins about the Badgers' first goal. "We don't normally score that early. I thought there was a lot of game to be played and I knew the wind would make a big difference in the second half. "At halftime I told the team the biggest thing is this is the end of somebody's season and that the next 45 minutes would be very tough. It's a learning process for our players still, but a great learning process and I'm glad we got the result. It's exciting for them but I hope we've learned from that for Sunday." Wisconsin came out strong in the first half, but found itself defending for most of the game after that. After outshooting the Sun Devils 7-5 in the opening period, Arizona State came out hungry with nine shots in the second half. ASU's Aissa Sanchez evened the score at 1-1 in the 71st minute with a shot into the right side netting from inside the 18-yard box. The Sun Devils held the momentum and out-shot the Badgers, 9-4, in the second half. In all, ASU finished the game with 19 shots to Wisconsin's 14. Dalton had seven saves in goal for the Badgers, while Alyssa Gillmore had six for Arizona State. Wisconsin's NCAA run continues at 1 p.m. Sunday, when the Badgers face third-seeded Central Florida at McClimon. The Knights advanced to the second round by shutting out Milwaukee in a 3-0 win earlier Friday.

Badgers outskate Alaska-Anchorage 5-1

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:01:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis.---Senior Aaron Bendickson (Thief River Falls, Wis.) scored his first two goals of the season and freshman Craig Smith (Madison, Wis.) tallied his first as a Badger to help Wisconsin men's hockey (5-3-1, 3-3-1 WCHA) to a 5-1 victory over Alaska Anchorage (4-7-0, 2-5-0 WCHA) at the Kohl Center Friday night. Wisconsin set the tone early, when Craig Smith scored just 14 seconds into the game. After the opening faceoff was initially controlled by the Seawolves, the Badger go the puck into the UAA zone, where senior forward Andy Bohmbach (Hudson, Wis.) forced a turnover. The puck found its way to Craig Smith racing his way to the net. That's when he finished for the first time as a Badger. First-period scoring continued for the Badgers. Craig Smith gained control of the puck in the high slot and skated behind the Anchorage goal. From there, he found a wide-open Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario) cutting to the net. Unnoticed, Goloubef shot the puck past the UAA goaltender John Olthuis for his third goal of the season. Senior tri-captain Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) was credited with his third assist of the year on the goal at 12:50. With just over one minute remaining in the first, Bendickson cashed in his first of two goals of the night. He took a pass from junior Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis.). The secondary assist was credited to senior forward John Mitchell (Neenah, Wis.). This concluded the first period's scoring. Heading into the second, the Badgers led the Seawolves by a score of 3-0. After a physical first 12 minutes of the second period, senior forward Michael Davies (St. Louis) found the back of the net for the second time this year with 7:52 remaining in the period. The goal came on a UW power play. After sophomore forward Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn.) saw his shot get saved by the UAA goaltender, Davies was there to rebound the puck and find the net. Freshman defenseman Justin Schultz (West Kelowna, B.C.) had the secondary assist on the play. This was the only goal of the second, and, heading into the third, the score was 4-0 in favor of UW. Bendickson notched his second goal of the game and the season just over five minutes into the third period. The team's first short-handed goal of the year came when Bendickson knocked home the rebound of senior tri-captain Ben Street's (Coquitlam, B.C.) shot. This put the Badger advantage at 5-0. After a goal power-play goal by Anchorage junior Craig Parkinson put the Seawolves on the board with 13:06 remaining in the third, the Badgers' defense remained too strong for them to do anything else. The game ended in a 5-1 Badger victory, with junior goaltender Brett Bennett (Williamsville, N.Y.) having stopped 19 UAA shots. His record rose to 4-2-0 on the year, as Seawolves goaltender Jon Olthuis saw his record fall to 2-4-0 on the year.

Badgers open season with victory over Old Dominion

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:01:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis.--The No. 12 Wisconsin wrestling team played host to No. 22 Old Dominion at the UW Field House Friday night in its first official dual of the 2009-10 season. The Badgers defeated ODU 21-19, a decisive victory won in the final bout of the evening at heavyweight. In the first match, senior Drew Hammen battled No. 5 junior James Nicholson at 125 lbs. Nicholson scored the first takedown at 1:57 in the first period and added to his lead from there, winning the bout 12-5 and resulting in 3-0 lead for ODU. Hammen recorded three escapes and one reversal in the match. No. 10 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff then took on redshirt freshman Joshua Gillis at 133 lbs. In the high scoring match, Graff recorded six takedowns in the first period , three in the second period and five more in the third period to result in a tech fall win for Graff 28-13. Since Graff scored only takedowns, Wisconsin received four team points for the tech fall. The decision gave the Badgers the edge over ODU, 4-3. The 141 lbs. weight class featured to redshirt freshman, Wisconsin's Cole Schmitt and Old Dominion's Craig Wilson. Wilson recorded the first takedown with 10 seconds left in the first period, going on to record four more takedowns and two point nearfall points to win the match by major decision, 16-5, giving the lead back to ODU, 7-4. Schmitt scored five escapes in the bout. No. 2 senior Kyle Ruschell faced senior Cam Watkins in a tough matchup at 149 lbs. Ruschell scored off of a takedown in the first period, a stall by Watkins in the first period, a reversal in the third period and 5:13 of riding time at the end of the bout. Ruschell shutout Watkins 6-0, resulting in a tied matchup at 7-7. Juniors Greg Burke and Dan Rivera then battled in a short matchup at 157 lbs. Burke recorded a takedown with 39 seconds left in the first period, turning it into a pin at 2:35 seconds. Burke was awarded six points for the pin and gave the Badgers the lead, 13-7. No. 3 sophomore Andrew Howe took on junior Derek Gallagher at 165 lbs. Howe jumped out to a 8-4 lead in the first period and scored 10 more points to win the match by tech fall. Howe recorded 11 takedowns in the match and had two nearfall points, adding five points to the UW lead, making the score 18-7. True freshman Brendan Ard wrestled in his first match as a Badger. Ard faced senior NCAA qualifier Eric Decker in a close match at 174 lbs. No points were scored in an even first period. Decker scored an escape in the second period and received points for riding time at the end of the bout, winning the match 2-0. At 184 lbs. redshirt freshman Jimmy Duffy took on sophomore Joe Budi. After a scoreless first period, Budi chose down, registered the escape and took down Duffy at 1:32 before pinning him at 4:11. The Badgers lead was then narrowed to 18-16. Freshman Jackson Hein also competed in his first match as a Badger and wrestled No. 10 senior Jesse Strawn at 197 lbs. The match was kept close, with Strawn only scoring once in each of the three period. With riding time points added on at the end of the match for Strawn, he won 6-0, resulting in the ODU lead of 19-18. In the final bout, heavyweights junior Eric Bugenhagen battled redshirt freshman Grant Chapman. After a scoreless first period, Bugenhagen chose down and recorded the only points of the second period with an escape at 1:50 left on the clock. Chapman scored an escape with 1:54 in the third period to tie the match at 1-1. For the rest of the third, the two heavyweights battled it out before Bugenhagen recorded a takedown with just 24 seconds left on the clock, leading to a 3-2 win for Bugenhagen and 21-19 dual win for the UW.